With the relaunch of the Law Society of British Columbia’s website, I wanted to take this opportunity to review Rule 4 of Chapter 14 of the Professional Conduct Handbook: Marketing of Legal Services. These rules have become increasingly permissive, so much so that many lawyers now forget the rules exist.

Rule 4

Let’s have a look at where things stand. The core rule (#4) reads as follows:

4. Any marketing activity undertaken or authorized by a lawyer must not be:

(a) false,
(b) inaccurate,
(c) unverifiable,
(d) reasonably capable of misleading the recipient or intended recipient, or
(e) contrary to the best interests of the public.

The profession is now empowered with sufficient marketing scope that they are left with a far greater challenge than the rules themselves… how to market? Life was certainly easier when a freshly painted shingle, a firm handshake, or a large phone book ad was sufficient for the task. Now, firms are scrambling to adjust to a world where clients are drawn out through search engine marketing, webinars and social media campaigns. Vancouver business lawyers, in particular, are flooded with choices. It’s not progress, just change. Fortunately, a firm handshake never goes out of style.